Christmas Miracle
by The Whitest Shade Of Pale
Summary: Alice always wished for one nice christmas, but resigned herself to being alone. Constantly haunted by her past, can an inhumanly handsome uncle and his family change her mind? AU, Alice is human, the rest are vampires.
1. Prologue

Christmas Miracle (Title pending, any other ideas?)

_Prologue_

_There's a wild wind blowing,__  
__Down the corner of my street,__  
__Every night there the headlights are glowing,__  
__There's a cold war coming,__  
__On the radio I heard;__  
__Baby it's a violent world._

**Life in technicolour ii, Coldplay**

Alice knew the childcare system well, the Government pretend that they care; shoving you in carehomes, feeding you the bare minimum in cheap food, and providing you with donated clothes. They wait until you turn 18, where they give you £100 to "get you started," as a more formal way of saying; "You've used enough of our money, take this and get lost."

So it was how Alice found herself in a shabby one-bedroom flat, on the wrong street in the wrong part of town. She had no relatives to stay with, she knew that much, otherwise she wouldn't have spent the last 16 years of her life in children's homes. She had hardly any friends, only mere _acquaintances _and it would be too much for her to ask them to let someone like her stay with them, anyway. Alice sighed, flopping down onto the sofa that had its filling spilling out onto the dirty floor. She realised that it was the end of November, which was probably the reason why her flat was so cold, but she hardly noticed these things anymore. She also realised that is meant it was nearly Christmas.

Alice would be alone this Christmas.

Being alone was the only thing Alice was good at these days.

_**Comments? Shall I continue? I do have the story planned out, anyone interested in me continuing? There will be a small segment inspired by/based on the film **_**Elf. Thankies :) x**


	2. The Newly Qualified Elf

Christmas miracle

_I wish you a hopeful Christmas,  
I wish you a brave New Year,  
All anguish pain and sadness;  
Leave your heart and let your road be clear.  
They said there'll be snow at Christmas,  
They said there'll be peace on Earth.  
Hallelujah Noel be it Heaven or Hell;  
The Christmas you get you deserve._

_**I believe in Father Christmas, Greg Lake**_

"_Hah, look its Alice, the freak. She says she can see the future, that's why her parents dumped her here."_

"_I heard it's because they killed themselves because they couldn't put up with her."_

"_Yeah, that's better. Great gossip, that's what we'll say we heard, right?"_

"_Right." _

They thought Alice didn't hear what they said, but she did.

"_Come on Alice, you want to stay here, don't you? Don't you want us to adopt you, so you don't go back to the orphanage?" Alice nodded, looking away from her new father. "This is what people do when they love each other, so why won't you love me?" Alice squirmed away, it wasn't right. She was only 8, but she knew it wasn't right. _

"_N-No, please."_

He didn't listen. Alice ran to the police after that, and her foster father was put into prison on a count of rape. Alice was sent back to the orphanage. The rumours started again.

"_She got her foster dad locked up! She said it was rape, but she enjoyed it. She's such a slut. It was actually statutory rape; she made him do it anyway. That's the story, right? That's what we'll spread ok?"_

Everyone believed them. One of the girls stuck chewing gum in her hair. Alice loved her hair; it was raven black and went down to her waist. The woman who owned the carehome had to chop it all off from above the shoulder. It now stuck out in spikey tufts from her head. Alice didn't like her new haircut. It made her feel even more like a freak.

"_Look, I'm sorry, but we can't keep her. She's scaring our daughter!"_

"_Please, can't you just give her another chance?"_

"_No, we've had her for a month, we've given her enough chances, but we cannot cope with her. All her other stuff is in her suitcase. Goodbye."_

That was one of the many times that Alice was returned to the carehome.

Hearing her stomach rumble, she got up and made her way over to the fridge, opening it finding only a mouldy hunk of cheese. She closed her eyes and leaned back onto the wall behind her, she decided she needed to go food shopping. Alice liked shopping, but only had real experience with window shopping, as she never had the money to buy real clothes from designer shops, she had the hand-me-downs and charity donations. Being the smallest she always got the clothes the others had grown out of. She also resolved to find a job, she only had £20 left, and that couldn't last her long. Getting a job would be hard; who would hire an 18 year old orphan with no qualifications? She had her GCSE's, they were all A*'s – product of no social life, she had no further education. College was the last thing on Alice's mind. Her biggest struggle at the moment was surviving.

Alice made her way to the tesco value aisle, trying to get as much food for her small budget as possible, she paid, feeling highly embarrassed walking in her oversized old clothes, resulting in her getting sneering looks from snotty teenagers walking with their friends in designer clothes and ridiculously high heels.

Once she reached the other side of the checkout, she noticed a display of vacancies for jobs, she scanned most of them who were looking for managers and other jobs that would require qualifications, and that's when she saw the only job that she could apply for;

"_Do you love entertaining and dressing up? Are you happy, friendly, outgoing and a good communicator? Do you enjoy working with children? Would you like to work as an Elf with Father Christmas in his Grotto?_

_As an Elf your duties would include 'Meeting and Greeting' children and their families, and assisting to ensure each child is photograhed with Santa. You would also be entertaining queues, assisting with the Father Christmas interview, working the Till Point, and refilling Santas sacks! _

_Experience in Customer Service or working with children, is preferred, however not essential, as full training is given. Great Grottos will provide you with a fabulous costume._

_Please note that a CRB or ISA check may be required."_ [**previous job application/advert thing, copyright to "Great Grotto's", I don't take credit or whatever for the application.] **

Alice wouldn't exactly call herself happy given the circumstances at this moment in time, but she was sure that she could be happy for the children visiting the grotto if it got food in the fridge and clothes on her back. Alice decided that she had nothing to lose by applying, and so she set off to walk to the Grotto.

"Hello, welcome to Great Grottos how may I help you?" a teenager stated in a bored tone.

"Um, Hi, I was looking for a job; can I speak to the manager? Please?" She huffed and walked off, and Alice stood there for a good ten minutes picking at the threads on her sweatshirt when she finally arrived back with a man, who Alice assumed was the manager.

After a very informal job interview consisting of "You start tomorrow." Alice found out that the hours she was given, combined with the **very** small pay package, would not suffice to cover small living costs. This brought her to her current situation, begging her boss into giving her more hours, hence, more money.

However behind her stood a tall man who had been listening in to the conversation, despite knowing how rude it was. Unbeknown to Alice, the man knew very well the manager of the mall's Christmas grotto, and strode over to the pair, despite the little voice in his head telling him not to interfere with human affairs.

"-need the money. Please."

"Excuse me," the man said, moving next to Alice, who backed away warily and looking the manager straight in the face. "Mr Jenks?"

"Oh, Mr Cullen. Good afternoon, sir." You could see the amount of discomfort that Mr Jenks was in, caused by the man's presence.

"Yes. Hi. Sorry, it just seems to me that this young lady here is offering to work longer for you, yet you seem to be turning her down? It seems to me that she'd make a fantastic ...elf and you'd be losing out if you denied her."

"Right, of course, Sir. I see where you're coming from. Of course, as you say it that way, how silly of me. Well, if you just..." Mr Jenks started writing on the piece of paper that was Alice's rota, "How does that look?"

"That's great, thanks so much," An unusual smile broke out on Alice's face. "I'll be here tomorrow?" Alice turned round and jumped slightly, not expecting the man to be so close to her. "Erm, thanks as well, I really appreciate that."

"You're very welcome..."

"My name's Alice." She supplied quietly.

"Jasper Whitlock, Ma'am." Alice giggled nervously. "Well, I may just bring my little niece down to bring Santa claus, now I'm on first name terms with one of his elves..." Jasper could see the amount of discomfort she was in. It was probably instinct he thought, humans subconsciously knew he was dangerous. "Well, I'd better go now, Alice. Nice meeting you."

"...You too."

Alice watched Jasper walk away, bewildered by the fact that not only had he _spoken _to her, he had _helped _her. She turned around to make her way home offering a shy smile to her new boss, who was watching the strange exchange between his newest employee and _Mr Cullen. _That reminded him... He beckoned Alice over with a flick of his wrist. Alice quickly scuttled over to him.

"I just wanted to let you know you have free use of the staff showers as soon as your contract begins." Alice thanked him as colour flushed her cheeks, was he trying to suggest that she... "See you tomorrow, eight-thirty. I don't accept lateness."

So, Alice found herself bright and early the next morning, in the staff showers making herself look – and smell, for that matter – as nice as possible. For Santa Claus, of course. Not for Jasper, she should have learnt by now not to hope for such things.

Alice, fully absorbed in her warm shower let herself go for the first time in a long time; she began singing. Alice had always enjoyed singing; she thought she wasn't very good. When she was at the carehome on the rare occasions she did sing, the other girls never failed to let her know how bad her voice was. They were jealous, Alice had a voice like tinkling bells, but she believed the bullies. Even if Alice wasn't indulging so much in her showering and singing, with her human limitations she wouldn't have noticed the person at the other end of the corridor. With the aid of his super sensitive ears, Jasper could hear Alice singing in the showers without being so bold as to enter the women's bathroom. Jasper became so fully indulged in her singing that he immediately noticed the falter and stop to her song mid-verse when she came across him by the double doors.

"Good morning, Alice."

"Hello Jasper." Alice felt the warmth flooding her cheeks.

"I heard you singing in the shower, you have a beautiful voice."

"Thank you," Jasper could feel that she almost believed him, he tried to sound as sincere as he could, whilst also using his gift to send her waves of calm. She was positively the most tense and emotionally raw person – human or other – that he had ever met, and he had been in the Southern Wars. It was due to this that Jasper felt such a connection to her; he wanted to find out why she gave off the emotions she did, why no one noticed and try to intervene. He wanted to be the person to put a smile on her face that would make her look even more beautiful than she already did.

"May I be so bold as to ask why you are using the staff showers this morning?"

"They shut my water off." Jasper could feel the shame and embarrassment flooding off her. He felt her become more uncomfortable, he realised that he had practically trapped her against the wall; his six foot frame towered over her petite, malnourished body. He stepped back immediately. "I-I should go, I don't want to keep Santa Claus w-waiting." He chuckled at her attempt at being light-hearted. As she walked away, Jasper felt some changes in the emotions she was giving off; mixed in with the sadness and self-loathing, there was something else – a sliver of hope.

**I just wanted to post this now, there is more; should I write it? Shall I continue? There's not that much left, and I don't really have much plans to turn it into a full on story, more of a three/four-shot. Hopefully I will get a good response and the rest will be up THIS side of Christmas! :)x**


	3. The Shopping Trip

_At Christmas time,__  
__it's hard, but when you're having fun,__  
__There's a world outside your window__,__  
__And it's a world of dreaded fear,__  
__Where the only water flowing is a bitter sting of tears. __  
__And the Christmas bells that ring there are the clanging chimes of doom__,__  
__Well tonight thank God it's them instead of you._

**Do they know it's Christmas? Band Aid.**

Esme busily flitted around the Cullen's rarely used, until recently, kitchen. She juggled various baking trays full of mince pies, gingerbread men and festive shaped cookies from the oven to various cooling racks around the room. Whilst elbow deep in yet more dough, the timer on the oven beeped, earning a groan from Esme. It was then that she spotted Jasper leaning idly in the doorframe, a lazy smile on his face.

"I'll get it," With a role of his eyes, Jasper strode over to the oven and retrieved the baking tray and adding the contents to the growing mountain of festive treats. "Esme, seriously, who are you cooking for? The whole population of Washington? I know Renesmee's growing fast but..." Jasper sniffed a cookie "eugh," he tossed it aside.

Esme shot him a look, "Are you just gonna stand there and insult my cooking or are you going to help me?"

"Gutted dude!" Emmett shouted as he sped past the kitchen door, en route to the TV.

"Yeah, I hope you had fun dressing up as the Sugar-Plum fairy for Rosalie!" He shot back, earning a snigger from Rosalie upstairs.

"Edward! Get out of my head!" Emmett harrumphed onto the sofa, flicking inhumanly fast through the channels before settling on a cheesy Christmas movie.

Jasper smirked and Esme didn't fail to notice. It wasn't so often this side of Jasper got out; she was sure the festive spirit was affecting him as much as it was her. Whatever it was that brought out this side of Jasper, she wanted to keep it alive as long as possible.

"Jasper, why don't you go and pick up the shopping for me? Get some fresh air? The list is on the table," Esme suggested, not really giving Jasper room to object.

Jaspers eyes bulged at the list, although honestly he wasn't surprised and glided out to the car.

Jasper pushed the overfilled trolley round the supermarket, ticking off the obscene amount of food that he was required to buy. As he declined another cup of mulled wine – not quite his drink of choice – and mince pie, he approached the butcher counter. The hanging joints of meat always made Jasper uneasy, although up there hung some of his usual prey; Venison, the smell of the stagnant blood tended to put him off. Nevertheless, Jasper put in his order, collected the turkey and placed it in the trolley without so much as a second glance from the surrounding humans who did not seem to notice the lack of breathing on his part.

As he rounded the corner towards the frozen section, Jasper was hit but a familiar wave of emotions; unhappiness, hunger and... was that indecisiveness? Jasper navigated through the hoards of people towards the freezers, where he spied a familiar head of raven black hair. She must have come straight from work, Jasper thought - not many people tended to wear red and green striped tights and curly toed shoes shopping.

He approached her, watching as she compared two roast dinner-for-one dinners from the supermarkets' discount brand. She looked at each in turn, then their price tags before closing her eyes and sighing resignedly.

"Why don't you just buy both?" Jasper joked, while noticing the skip in her heart beat as he made her jump as he began talking.

"My paycheck isn't exactly the largest," Alice replied sheepishly. Jasper felt the embarrassment rise up inside her before she pushed it back down again.

"So Santa isn't taking good care of his elves?"

"So it would seem," she murmured, placing both meals back into the cabinet. Intrigued, Jasper followed Alice down the aisle, trying to maintain light conversation. He watched as she ended up placing a small plain pizza and a packet of turkey ham into her trolley. Jasper started to feel guilty about the amount of food he had in his trolley just for one girl (and the usual drop in werewolf...) Alice stole a look into his trolley and he felt a longing and a slight hunger, but again she pushed the emotions away.

"My mum always buys loads – it was my turn to shop this year," Jasper tried to explain the army-sized rations he was buying. He felt a pang of jealously from her which she quickly pushed away.

"That's nice,"

"Well, all this food will probably go to waste," Jasper felt an emotion from her he couldn't even recognise; was it hunger? Jealously, sadness? Either way he was impressed at how well she handled them, it seemed as if she had grew accustomed to her strong emotions.

"Turkey sandwiches all round then," she replied with a slight smile, but he could sense that she was uncomfortable. Jasper was again taken aback – inside her emotions were in such turmoil yet she replied so light-heartedly!

At just the wrong moment, the tannoy announcement declared the approaching closing time to the late shoppers.

"Well, I'll see you soon then?" Jasper asked hopefully – he couldn't believe how attached he was getting to this human. He didn't think of her as just 'another human' anymore and he couldn't believe it.

"Um, ok, yeah, er, Merry ... Christmas?" She ducked her head shyly and scuttled away with her small basket.

"And Alice?" She turned, her face slightly reddened as people turned at the sound of her name being called down the aisle. Jasper walked forwards and handed her a small piece of paper with his phone number on it.

"Call me if you need anything. Anything," She mumbled an embarrassed – yet grateful – thankyou and dashed away to the checkout.

Jasper felt the small amount of hope within her from their previous meeting grow; he was determined to one day make it overcome the other emotions that were whirling away inside her.

As he caught a small smile from her over the checkouts, Jasper decided that he was beginning to like this human facade of Christmas just a little bit more.

**Merry Christmas Eve Eve! I have no idea why this took me like... 2, 3 years to update? Whatever. I would love to finish this in time for Christmas (2011) but then again I said that for the last update, last Christmas so...**

**I'm useless, I know. Real life's being a bitch and there's not much we can do about that...**

**Yeah, will reeaalllyy try to update but yeah.**

**Merry Christmas!**


End file.
